The Autistic Burnout construct

The Autistic Burnout construct (ABO) ​​is a self-report questionnaire that measures traits such as fatigue, exhaustion, and related symptoms to identify autistic burnout in autistic adults.

Before you take the test, please read the
Notes section—and then take the test here:

Who the test is designed for

Adults (age 16+) judged to have an IQ in the normal range (IQ >=80).

Versions & translations

• The ABO has not been translated into other languages due to being a relatively new construct. Although autistic adults have been discussing burnout online for more than a decade, research on the topic has only emerged in the literature recently.
• Non-adult versions are NOT yet available.

Taking the test

The ABO consists of 8 statements, giving you 6 choices for each statement:

• Strongly Agree = 6 points
• Agree = 5 points
• Slightly Agree = 4 points
• Slightly Disagree = 3 points
• Disagree = 2 points
• Strongly Disagree = 1 point

The ABO has 2 reverse scoring statements:

• Statements 3 & 4

Notes: before taking the test

Statement interpretations:

1. It became very draining to “act appropriately” or “blend in” when I was with other people.
   What they are discussing here is camouflaging. Many autistics consider it offensive to say we are acting ‘appropriately’ when masking. The question is—Has it been more difficult in the last month to mask your autistic traits to try and fit in?
2. I was much more easily bothered by everyday sounds than I used to be.
   I am always hypersensitive to sounds, but those aversive sounds became unbearable and painful in burnout.
3. I almost always felt like I had the energy to do what I needed to get done.
   This statement is a comparison of your energy level before your burnout.
4. I was able to handle most everyday sensory environments without much trouble.
   Have the environments you typically experience caused you more distress than they used to? If going to the grocery store is something you have typically done, has that become more difficult? One thing to note here is that when we are burned out, we avoid environments, so you can consider this also—have you been avoiding the grocery store more?
5. I felt burned out (a state of complete mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion) from everything that I needed to do.

*To clarify the framing of the statements, you may find it helpful to add ‘over the past month’ to the beginning of each statement.

Scoring

• Scoring range: 6–48
• Threshold score: 32↑ 

Any score of 32 or higher is indicative of autistic burnout. The higher the score, the more significant the burnout. Note that scores close to the threshold may already give reason to make some adjustments so as to lower your score and prevent autistic burnout.

Validity

How reliable, accurate, valid, and up-to-date is the test?

The Autistic Burnout construct (ABO) is a valid, reliable scale; it has strong psychometric properties, including:^[1]The Reliability and Validity of a Novel Autistic Burnout Measure Among Neurodiverse College Students (Richards et al., 2023)

• A high internal consistency (α=.91)
• Convergent validity; dimensional autistic trait scores (SRS-2) were correlated with ABO scores (see Table 3 of the open-access paper)
  • ABO was associated with all hypothesized convergent variables—except for levels of engagement with passionate interests and friendships (−.25)
• Divergent validity; as hypothesized, the ABO was not associated with age, race, ethnicity, or university (see Table 4 of the open-access paper)
• Participants did not differ on ABO scores by self-reported autism status (see Table 2 of the open-access paper)

Richards et al. thus suggest that the ABO is a promising empirical construct for ongoing investigation.

Discussion

Natalie:

At the height of my burnout (4 months ago), I scored 46. Today, I scored 41, which means I am still experiencing significant burnout, although I feel I am on the mend. I have to know my limits and not ignore them—that has been a long, hard lesson for me because it makes me feel limited. In truth, what I expected myself to get done was entirely unrealistic. I have been changing a lot in my life to address the autistic burnout, and it has made a significant difference. I have asked for a lot of support, which has helped, and I force myself to rest. I speak about all of this in the book that my colleagues and I recently wrote (and published!) on autistic burnout, entitled ‘The Ultimate Guide to Autistic Burnout.’ 

I am so happy to see the creation of a scientifically validated test for autistic burnout. For so many of us, autistic burnout is a profound condition producing significant consequences such as mental health concerns, exhaustion, depression, and suicidality. I think the fact that researchers are creating psychometrics in itself validates autistic burnout. The test initially had 42 statements, which were revised to 27. Researchers then found that the subscale for exhaustion most accurately tested for autistic burnout; and thus, they further reduced the test to the final eight statements.

Some of the statements need clarification for autistics (a hallmark of us taking tests), and I have done so in the Notes section.

Eva:

I scored 42, which doesn’t surprise me, considering I have been really overwhelmed lately; I experience a lot of pressure every day, but lack the energy and focus to adequately deal with the daily demands and responsibilities. When taking the test, I initially anticipated scoring quite low, since the test seemed to focus heavily on sensory stimulation, which is an area I don’t quite feel affected by. However, I think this impression is false, because while I feel I can deal with everyday sounds and my sensory environment just fine, I have actually been staying up later and later—going to bed at 10 in the morning or even at noon. This suggests that I’m subconsciously drawn to a more tranquil environment without much sensory stimulation from light, environmental sounds, as well as social demands. I think I can deal with my sensory environment just fine, but I just realized I’ve been engaging in escapism to an extreme degree. I actually don’t think the ABO adequately captures that. I guess one could argue that it has captured enough to identify my autistic burnout, but I’m a bit concerned that like me, autistic people taking this test will answer based on their capacity to deal with environmental sounds and such, but don’t consider the degree to which they avoid the sensory environment in the first place. I mean, I seemingly do fine with environmental sounds, but perhaps only because I very heavily modulate the sensory input in the first place. If I were to expose myself fully to everyday life, I probably wouldn’t cope as well.

That last statement strikes me as quite ironic, by the way; the fact that I still state how I cope reasonably well with certain things, while at the same time scoring 42 on this test (close to the maximum score), and knowing how much I’ve struggled with my mental health lately. Which brings me to another thing I think is worth to consider. If you are highly alexithymic, you may not be the best judge of how your physical and social environment affects you emotionally. While the ABO has shown to be a good measure of autistic burnout, if you score close to the threshold of 32, I think it could make sense to get a second opinion; fill in the test together with someone close to you who knows you well and who may have a better understanding of how things affect you—or what they observe you being affected by.

Having said that though, I do like the phrasing of most of the statements on this test, which strikes me as direct and unambiguous—thereby diminishing the extent to which a lack of emotional self-awareness could undermine the results. For example, it doesn’t take deep emotional insight or a nuanced understanding of your emotions to answer whether you have been able to adequately take care of your responsibilities. In that sense, this is one of the clearest and least ambiguous tests for autistic people I recall taking.

Kendall:

I scored 34. I’m still unsure about my interpretation of statements 3 & 4; I assume they mean ‘previously’. The statements are straightforward (though I’m uncertain what ‘act appropriately’ means). However, their past tense throws me off because I’ve had several burnouts of varying degrees, and a present-day burnout of lesser intensity. Even though the test instructions specify the past month, my mind naturally wanders among earlier experiences. In re-taking the questionnaire, if I imagined ‘over the past month’ at the beginning of each statement, that helped focus my response. I feel that the questionnaire, though brief, is accurate in its result.

Hailey:

The Autistic Burnout construct

Please rate each of the following statements according to how you have felt within the past month:

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